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A compact week
5 July 2010, 11:42 am

A week of news and events (albeit it smallfry).

First up, I passed the American Apparel LA photo vetting procedure to work within the company. Is that legal? Well there's a whole reel of blog posts spread across the internet debating it but I see the essence in what they're trying to do. Every job has dress codes and they're no different. As much as I've heard some girls complain about their no makeup policy I'm all in favour of it. The world is a much nicer place without cosmetic strata to people's faces and photoshopped bodily modifications.

I'm now eligible to work anywhere in the world with the company I'm told and fingers crossed this position waiting in the wings locally will come through soon.

Secondly I've been managing to resume normal training and climbing and had a very pleasant evening at Llanddulas Cave yesterday. Considering it's been over a year since I was on any sort of route I'm amazed I managed to do more than two moves. The routes at Dulas are all top quality and nice lengths. I've got my eye on Wirral Whip as a little project. It's a short 7c+ that packs some classic looking moves in and I'm told by Doylo it should suit. Matt has his eye on the filthy one's new 8b Temple of Doom which I have to admit looks absolute quality. It was so nice to be back on routes and I'm reminded from a first session back just how different a game route climbing is to bouldering.

Finally, I received my second year second semester degree result today. All modules taken into account puts me on 65% for second year. I'm happy with this and especially happy with 78% for Urban Studies which I believe is likely the highest mark in the year. And so begins the imminent third and final year of the BA. I'm looking forward to a lack of sleep for a whole year and to that all important piece of paper in my hand giving me Part I Exemption to work in practice.

So the weather is good, my life is good and my prospects hopefully bright in securing some funding for third year.

Sport climbing tomorrow again so look out Fr 5's of Wales!!!

Source: Pass the Pasta Pastor

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Feeling ropey
12 July 2010, 10:41 am

I've spent three sessions now at Llanddulas in a week. Two of them were relatively impromptu and depended upon the ability of Matt and I to remain sober the night before. Thankfully I managed one of them in a state of only tiredness and each session has seen a slight improvement upon the last. It's been a year since I was last on a rope and it wasn't exactly something as a boulderer I was equipped to throw laps on (Zeke 8b). Since then, I've hardly climbed let alone tied on to a rope so I've had to set my ambition bar to zero. Since one can only progress from nothing, I suppose you could say that I've made stratospheric gains.

Now that the return-to-sport-climbing-whitey-fest of climbing above bolts is gradually subsiding and my trusting in Crouch to not have stored his harness in a moth box for the last god knows how long amount of time is passing, I'm slowly starting to improve. It's been a case of jumping on everything and anything in my path and it's an approach I'm happy with. It's also a nice break from my bouldering project and a good way to get fitness back that's been lost at my drawing board.

Matt had an ace session yesterday despite nearly ralphing up the previous night's cider on the 6a+ warmup. He went on to feel "slightly more proper" after this wave of despair had passed and walked up Wirral Whip (7c+) with consummate ease apparently not feeling any sort of pump even after our warmups. I dream of such feats and listen closely at all times to the guru.

Going to hit the injury maker (so dubbed by the Liverpool climbing scene) today and see if I can get back to the 3.5 millies. Always feel solid gains when working the two small rungs so hopefully some repeaters on the medium rung and maximal attempts on the others will infuse some juicy improvements.

Here's some multimedia gifts for your eyes and ears since I rarely seem to pepper this bullshit with anything of note.

Sidney the lad just loves techno.

Crouchie en route to the crag. God help any man who asks for beta.

The design studio where the past year of my life has been lived.

Lorenzo with the guru's awesome child. Such a mellow beast.

1:20 detail from my final library design

One of the best sets in recent times. Extrawelt at Amsterdam Dance Event. October 2009.

Onwards and upwards brothers and sisters.

Source: Pass the Pasta Pastor

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Neither robot nor sycophant
27 July 2010, 6:56 pm

One of my tutors repeatedly tells me that I have trouble finishing things. I've dwelt pretty hard on this since he passed this comment about seven months ago. I don't quite know why such a comment would stick around for so long, but it's a seemingly loaded statement.

The problem of reflexivity in a self critique is immutable; it's simply not possible to suspend the effect of the self completely in order to obtain an overarching 'picture' of oneself. To this extent, I would be foolish to certifiably account for what I have realised is very true of me. What I can try to do, however, is to try to reconcile this observation with real-time examples.

I do have trouble finishing things - drawings (at times), boulder problems, routes, self-guided tutorials, new year resolutions and so on. I wish not to berate myself in light of this matter but would rather hope to treat my 'self' as a progressive entity. I refuse to argue with friends, family or relations to any extent and I realise the fervour of this sentiment more fully as each day passes. If a dear friend, family member or relation initiates an argument with me then I know that for good reason I have somehow riled them either by way of blind ignorance, an emotional oversight or some other such reason. I think it's important that as soon as this happens, one tries as fully as possible to be as reflexive inasmuch as it is possible in attempting to trace the logical causation of this interruption to an otherwise peaceful existence.

Attitudinally, this may all sound somewhat robotic and it's very problematic conveying otherwise to you perhaps. Let me assure you though that I am neither a robot nor a sycophant; rather I am attempting to document my evolving means of evolving and through this become a being capable of realising achievements based not upon aleatory occurrences but through pre-meditated meditations.

Thinking further, my active plan to work towards some of the recent goals I have spoken about within the UKB Powerclub thread seems to be fully in motion. I hope to write soon with news of finishing some unfinished business I have.

Source: Pass the Pasta Pastor

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Not so weak a week
2 August 2010, 12:05 am

The week past has been the second successive week of indulging in what I could claim to be called 'training' and 'climbing'. Generally, I think four sessions is a worthy week and it's rather a luxury for me to find the time to be able to participate to this extent. I'm aware the final academic year ahead of my BA is going to be a tough time so there does feel something of a hurriedness about my current climbing desires and position. I'm sitting on 65% for second year and having learnt so so much this year past, I've put myself in a good position to go for the win - first class honours. I told myself in my first degree that I wouldn't leave university without a first and this assertion has been made again. Now to deliver.

I had a proper session on Mudjakeewis last week and felt better than the week past on it. The lactic threshold is extending itself to me kindly and I'm starting to relax above bolts a little more and enjoy the business at hand. I'm not quite sure why this fear is here as I've never had it mountaineering or climbing indoors so it's probably down to getting reacquainted with heights and feeling confident in the fact that there are no problems.

Paulo, Mike and I nipped over to Dullas tonight for a power hour and given the lack of available time to us, I decided to jump straight back onto Mudja. I tied on and got straight on it in the hope of warming up in situ and to my surprise seriously floated up it to the flattys. I dropped off purposefully and lowered to make sure my fingers were warmed up properly. A minutes rest then I jumped back on and casually got to the last move to the gaston before the easy top section only to not be able to work out where I ideally wanted my right foot. After a brief rest I climbed back on and think I saw a right foot diagonal smear that's probably the ticket to getting stood up to romp home to victory. As time wasn't on our side, I came down and let the others get a mince on. I think success is near and the climbing brilliant. An important pair of factors in making the whole process an enjoyable one.

Tomorrow evening might be a late one at LPT on belay (or relay as you scousers will know it) duty for the Don and Mike with wednesday given over to project time.

I'm working on some architectural watercolour drawings at the moment so hope to post up some snippets of my early experiments with some new materials in the near future. Should you have read this, I hope you are well dear citizen.

Source: Pass the Pasta Pastor

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Unravelling the black hole of lethargy
7 August 2010, 12:36 pm

Something of a mystery lethargy virus has taken its hold across the NW contingent it seems this week. Not quite cold, not quite flu, stripped of the harshness of a chest cold it's just left me feeling like I've had the life sucked out of me for the past four days. I suppose it's naturally worrying if you suddenly start to feel so depleted of energy but thankfully today seems to be a slight improvement upon the previous days. A good few friends reporting similar symptoms. Weird one.

Ventured over to Llandullas yesterday for an easy volume session but was unable to summon an atom of energy and so instead belayed Paulo briefly before sacking it home. One poor day out is perfectly acceptable bearing in mind the ten past have been good I suppose.

The only thing troubling me this week has been the 'above bolts' issue. As I mentioned, I'm really not sure where this has come from as two years ago I was climbing at the wall daily without any worries. Suddenly I seem to be able to climb perfectly fine with a first bolt preclipped but throw something of an inner whitey the moment I'm above it. Think it makes for comedy viewing for the team which is something of a consolation but I'd prefer to be out and out crushing than shitting dirty water. I watched some video of the 'clip drop' technique linked via UKC and I'm sure something like that would be a good way to sort it out. Either that or just some practice lobs at the crag. Answers on a postcard...

Source: Pass the Pasta Pastor

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And the beat goes on
31 July 2011, 11:07 pm

A summary of the past nine months:

- Met a delightful young lady and been going out for over a year now. She's dangerously good at climbing and has fingers that rival Gaskins. Get good now dear but not too good...

- Lost the contents of my world (not said in screaming scouse girl voice) aka shitdrive. Stayed awake for 4 days at the peak encountering chest pains and hallucinating heavily. A phonecall to Mr Donnelly reassured me it was pleural chest pain and not heart pain. Fought on through, redrew as much of a years work as possible. It came off and a 2.1 was sent my way. A torturous shame thinking what would have been otherwise but I live to tell a tale (albeit a boring one).

- Went to the cave after 6 months of no physical exercise and got to the last moves of RA. Wondered why climbing is so odd and the body even more so. Hit training and climbing hardish and gains started to come back. Not climbed last two weeks since getting back on project. This is to be the year to do that (inevitably at a grade of Fb 4 no doubt).

- Sea fishing passion of old has come back. Went through my old stuff from 12 years ago and made lots of new rigs today. Caught some mackerel unexpectedly the other night. Was unusually tasty. I wonder how long it takes fish to get from the sea to Tesco?

Climbing tomorrow. Lovely. Big love.

Source: Pass the Pasta Pastor

[SA Chris]

Welcome back to the world.

[Doylo]

My mum says you're dumped!

[BenF]

Yeah yeah yeah Tom.  I knew all that. Tell me something new...   

Actually I didn't know the bit about you going fishing.

[Richie Crouch]

He even ventured on to the Bowderstone with team scal yesterday... and true to old form, just got stuck into a crimpy 8A 

[Monolith]

Woah woah crouchie, that's not strictly true. I was boning some crimps to get some strength back. It was only ever going to be a tour day and an outdoor fingerboard session. Psyched to go back soon with some arms.

Fishing is the new rock n roll although you could argue it's a distraction from having to do physical exercise. I'm just useless in humid conditions and really lethargic 

[Nibile]

good to read you again brother.

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Tips on surviving the apocalypse (aka the recession)
4 August 2011, 1:08 pm

The present day graduate must be bulletproof. Fully, 100% bulletproof. When the local job centre looks like the student union, you know something is terribly awry. It is incredibly easy for him or her to lapse into a trough of despair; a journey downwards that is further facilitated by his or her inclination to follow any sort of press - be it tabloid or broadsheet. Tales of forty thousand applicants for one graduate job circulate freely, almost as if the act of gaining a position had become established as a Myth. Yes, myth with a capital 'M'.

Not I said the tinman, not I! For this bleak landscape of nothingness becomes the canvas upon which to shine. Let others keel over and perish while your wiliness grants you access to unforeseen prospects. Let the CV's of the others be printed on the finest of papers! Give the masters something of luxury to wipe their tired anuses with!

Nepotism, my friends, is alive and kicking. Do not be fooled that your CV will be read or even used as anal fodder. Permeate the inner core of your masters social circle and be at one with it. Do not be fooled that nepotism is necessarily a force of evil. Do not bask in the comfort of a depressed 'Send' button upon application. Do not suffer the ubiquitous rhetoric upon a follow-up call. Do not consider yourself to be the best for you are not.

Strategy and tactic.

The battlefield

The fauna

The construction

Source: Pass the Pasta Pastor

[Nibile]

welcome to Italy brother.

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Untitled
12 February 2012, 11:34 am

The last five months have been a big motivational struggle. After training hard since the start of last summer, I thought I had my project finally satched up. Alas these two middle finger A2 strains took a long time to heal and upon a two month rehabilitation spree with a zero crimping ban I ended up back at square one which forced me to lay off completely from climbing and work solely on the pullup bar.

The pain didn't seem to be the usual sort of that of scar tissue and I didn't want these strains to flare up again. I'd been making good progress with healing and some good progress on the bar before I acquired a horrendous foot infection that resulted in my inability to walk for the best part of a week. Some stupid triage nurse tried to fob me away from my admittance to A&E but my insistence to speak to a consultant proved correct and they were glad that I'd come at that time. Doubtless I would have needed IV antibiotics had I have not insisted upon seeing the doctor.

I'm about to begin normal service this week and I'm looking forward to my first proper half-crimp in five months. I'm also looking forward to Lore's imminent visit and getting him some good ticks as he's unleashed upon our hallowed crags. Get yourself over pronto champ!

Source: Pass the Pasta Pastor

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New school inspirators
13 August 2012, 5:38 pm

I've realised that it's a little tricky trying to pick a blog up from where one last signed off. Though I have been climbing, much of what I've been doing has been just enough to tick over at times varying to concerted efforts at other times. Since September, I've lost four hours a day to my commute which hasn't been conducive to facilitating solid climbing performances on a consistent basis. I've really been trying to eat as well as possible in work and at home to give myself a fighting chance. Obviously getting straight to the wall from work at 7.30 means a late dinner afterwards and then not wanting to eat too heavily with a 6am rise the following morning. I feel constantly tired and it's not something I wish to entertain for too much longer. All of the work I've been investing in to my project has come to mean very little but I know the levels of despondency that one can come to associate with injury and time off and how in fact, the body is an amazing entity that can always develop when asked.

Undoubtedly, life could be made a lot easier both financially and economically by making a move to Manchester. For many reasons, this isn't a move that I have wanted to make and it's actually quite nice dipping in and out of a different city each day. Though that might be me putting a positive spin on it, I really am fond of Liverpool and enjoy rolling back into Lime Street each evening through the murky, cavernous underbelly of the Edge Hill cuttings.

I thought for the subject of this post, I might pass idle commentary on some of the things and people that I find inspire me. In actual fact, I can certifiably say that the vast majority of 'dedicated' climbers I meet inspire me in their various different ways. We each have our own respective life pressures exerting their influence and attempting to suppress our abilities to climb consistently and in style. To then be able to climb to a standard which is above average requires maximal focus and an ability to translate all of the peripheral minutiae of life into a sort of ambient noise. This is no mean feat and I am very much aware that some of my cohorts would seem to be masters of this particular art. As phenomenal and groundbreaking as I find many of the top level modern athletes to be, I find it much easier to trace the simplicity with which the path to their present condition has been forged. Whether through the aid of parental contribution, sponsorship or just getting by, the vast majority of these young uber talents have grown into a climbing world that in terms of training facilities is wildly more sophisticated than it was twenty years ago. Historically speaking, though training on brick edges in a back yard before becoming one of the worlds greatest rock climbers might sound a romantic notion, one must also remember that a great many members of this previous generation were forced to reside in caves or in squalor in order to become the finest athletes of their day. I have a deep seated admiration for the commitment that was very necessary for these climbers to make in order to be the best they could be but although this hardcore (almost homeless) means of existing and climbing seems to be far less rife than it had been during the 80s, there seems to be a new breed of hardcore; those individuals who manage to hold down reputable and demanding professions whilst managing to remain focussed and strong. Doubtless the proliferation of indoor training facilities assists said individuals, but it's a different kind of struggle that they face.

I'm inspired by Matt Donnelly's return to form having had a long layoff from the sport. Despite managing a large team of people and working long days, his devotion to training and pushing his own personal boundaries is immensely impressive. Lorenzo Frusteri's commitment to training is equally as impressive given his arduous commute between Siena and Florence each day in 40 degree heat. After a day spent teaching Italian to foreigners, I can hardly think of anything less appealing than pulling down on small edges on a steep board or dangling under tiny pockets with many kilograms attached to oneself. I could reel off a list of countless friends and acquaintances whose devotion to their own progression never fails to impress me and as we humans only ever seem to laud our peers posthumously which seems to me to be rather tragic, I'd prefer to take the opportunity to do it here and now and to congratulate these people for offering me a very real and familiar source of inspiration.

Lastly, though I never really get time to write any more, I hope to write soon of a very exciting personal matter. My thanks to all sources of inspiration whether you know me or not.

Source: Pass the Pasta Pastor

[Wood FT]

good post

[andy_e]

Fuck it, move to leeds and commute to Manc!

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Which way to The Chevin?
7 October 2012, 11:11 pm

Finally! After twelve months spent commuting on public transport to Denton from Liverpool, it's over! I'm absolutely elated to be finished with my first year in practice and similarly enthralled to have gained so much experience. It's been a very steep learning curve on so many fronts and I've certainly had a big insight into the profession. Naturally, there have been highs and lows and as ever in architectural design, the highs seem to be very high and the lows very low. On many occasions I was in positions of great responsibility where I had perhaps not even realised it. In the early months when everything was slightly intimidating and all very new, it was probably for the best that I didn't realise it. More recently, I've had a few idle moments of realisation of just how much more I am capable of doing than I had been initially. To be able to go to site and converse with some degree of fluency in what needs to be done is something I derive great satisfaction from and it's precisely such feelings that always keep me moving forward with what seems like a life sentence of an education (seven years already and three to four to go!).  I must admit, it's been rather dismaying feel my body take a predominantly downward spiral in terms of fitness but despite this insane commute, I have managed to train as hard as I possibly can given such little respite. I'm pleased about this and my love for climbing couldn't be any greater. Now that the year in practice is over, I'm moving to Leeds to live with my girlfriend which is a pretty exciting step to take. Over the course of the next ten months the plan is to source any form of employment and to enter a number of international architecture competitions in conjunction with some young architect friends with the aim of developing the portfolio. I'd actually love to do some more wall work and setting ideally but will need to take whatever might be going.   As much as I haven't ever gelled with gritstone, it'll be amazing to be so close to Caley and Almscliffe and to really give it a go. If you see some weak skanky punter flapping about, please do free to come over and show him the error of his ways. You wouldn't mind a few tips would you Crouchie? ; )  

Source: Pass the Pasta Pastor

[Nibile]

Fucking yes brother.
Congratulatons.

[SA Chris]

it'll be amazing to be so close to Caley and Almscliffe and Ilkley and Earl and.......

Nice one mate. Hope it all works out for you.

[andy_e]

And Alfred and Arcadia and the Hunters and...

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Pastures old
5 November 2012, 5:45 pm

Finally, everything seems to be falling nicely into place. After a frantic week spent calling, prospecting and visiting, we've finally found and been able to move into a really nice apartment in the centre of Leeds. Not only is the apartment super nice but the River Aire is outside the door and City Bloc just around the corner. Being both a keen fisherman and (trying to be) a climber, this can only bode well in the stimulus department. I had been a bit reticent at first about leaving Liverpool but I'm really not sure why now. The Leeds lads and lasses will undoubtedly have a good scene and plenty of actual rock to boot.   I had my inaugural City Bloc session this afternoon and all concerned have done a very good job of providing precisely what one wants in an indoor wall; well, that's certainly the way I see it. The space has been really well thought out and large roofs have been wisely omitted given the fairly slender width of the building. Varied consistent angles and great hold selections were very welcome and problems throughout all grades I'd say were very well set. It's been around the seven week mark of having had a super painful lower back injury and so it was nice to feel in control working through these. Massive props to all concerned.  Just my possessions to collect from Wirral now and some life admin then hopefully in a few months I'll have gotten a lot of mileage in and be fully immersed in all of the delights that Yorkshire has to offer. "Lovely stuff, not my words Michael, the words of Shakin' Stevens".  What a peg to have outside your door!   Finally, a lesson we should all learn when in a toilet cubicle    

Source: Pass the Pasta Pastor

[Nibile]

Great news Tom, very happy for you both!
Thanks for sharing.

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A Waller Waller Waller woo
21 November 2012, 8:53 pm

My head says Gaskins but my body says Waller. It's perhaps a bit extreme at both ends of the spectrum but at some point in time, you'll probably have experienced the gist of what I'm getting at.   Three weeks spent so far in Leeds and life is really quite good. It's been great reacquainting myself with the city and being situated a few hundred metres from City Bloc. I can't big the style of setting up enough and there's an ace little scene going on in there. Perhaps it's the scale and the intrinsic intimacy of the place that brings it to life much like the atmosphere of the old Climbing House in Liverpool. I've been trying to work my way through as many circuit problems as my Victor Meldrew lower back will allow. Thankfully, owing to some good stretching advice and an enforced routine, things are starting to gradually ease up now and I can move my leg a fair bit more than in previous weeks. How fucking interesting for you.  As much as I'm loving the close proximity to some exquisite grit crags, my mind is absolutely honed in on my ultimate aim which is to box off my project. I've been doing a lot of conditioning work with weights, the bar and the fingerboard and it feels good to be swinging around on back two once more. There's really quite some work to do over the next few months but I'm hoping come the Christmas vacation, I'll be in relatively good nick to attempt it once more when home with the rents. It'll be interesting too to see if I can gain momentum with this fat burning diet plan I've adopted. Let's hope so otherwise it's Wallertime.                                   I know at least one man that finds him handsome anyway.

Source: Pass the Pasta Pastor